Third time's the charm
by edwalk86
Summary: He considered himself lucky that once, just once, in his entire life, that he got to see that smile, to see her truly happy. NaruSaku


This is a repost of my first story that I wrote back in August 2009. I haven't had much time to write throughout the year, and with the finish of my story Realisation I've decided to edit my previous stories to help me progress a bit further as a writer.

I haven't changed much from the original story. Spelling mistakes, name changes, a little bit of grammar work, and making this one chapter instead of three is the work I've done to it (I haven't cut the story down to make it one chapter, I've just taken the three original short chapters and put them into one). I have however left the third person perspective to this story, and while I want to change it I feel that it would end up being a completely different story altogether, one I would have to rewrite from scratch, so I've just changed some things to make it more consistent. I hope this makes it easier to read.

This story is set around the middle of Shippuden, though I don't want any of the events that happen during the Naruto canon to influence this story, so in essence this is just a short self-contained story that has Naruto and the Rookie Nine all in their late teens, people alive that should be dead, and it goes from there.

This story is written in third person, with Naruto as the subject. This is a NaruSaku Romance/Angst fanfic. I don't own Naruto.

"Speaking current tense"

_'Speaking to the Kyuubi'_

_Thinking in mind  
_

_

* * *

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**The first time.**

And there it was. That smile.

That smile. He considered himself lucky to ever see that smile. He knew it was there. Hidden deep beneath. The one she used when she was truly happy. He considered himself lucky that once, just once, in his entire life he got to see that smile. To see her truly happy.

He would give up anything, everything, to see it. To see her smile like that.

It had happened once before. He had just arrived back from his three year trip with Jiraiya. He couldn't keep the smile from his face. As he stepped foot in the village, his home, a million thoughts flashed through his mind at once. See his friends, find Kakashi, see Shizune-neechan and Baa-san, eat his weight in Ichiraku's Ramen, visit the Memorial, visit the Fourth, even go back to his apartment to just chill. But the one that won out over all those thoughts was one. Just one. And he considered it the most important. See her. Show her how much he's grown. How strong he's become. See how stronger she is. How much more beautiful she had become.

He didn't have to wait long. As he was musing, the old hermit's giggles brought him back to reality and the woman, no, goddess that stood before him. She was beautiful.

And it wasn't because of her body, no, it was because of that smile. He was hoping that she was an angel and she was there to take him to heaven, because he was prepared for it now that he'd seen that smile. It made him want to smile also, but he was afraid that if he did, it would be an insult to what he was witnessing. He had to though.

So he mustered all his courage and smiled back. If possible her smile became even more angelic, more breathtaking in response. He was happy. Not because he was home, though he was. No, he was happy because for the first time in all the years he had known the woman in front of him, she had smiled that smile that deep down he knew she had. It showed him exactly what she was thinking. She was happy he was back. And he was happy to be back.

And now he was witnessing it a second time. In all honesty he should be happy. She was happy. More happy then he'd ever seen her in all the year's he'd known her. But he wasn't. It hurt him to see that smile now. And he was ashamed at himself for thinking that. He should be happy to see her smile like that. It just hurt so much right now to see her smile like that. To see it directed at the man in front of her.

At his brother. Sasuke.

He shouldn't be surprised. After all, after so many years of heartbreak and separation, he knew she still cared for him. Loved him. Even after breaking her heart, leaving her broken for her friends and family to piece back together, she still loved him deep down. It pained him to see her during those years, broken, unable to be complete because she missed that one vital piece that made her whole. Sasuke.

He said he'd bring Sasuke back to her. A promise of a lifetime. He trained til every fibre of his being told him to stop, to rest, and then he'd get back up and train harder. He listened to everything Ero-Sennin and Kakashi-sensei told him. He did every exercise their combined knowledge could think up. He mastered his wind affinity. He mastered and perfected the Rasengan. He even learned the Fourth's signature jutsu, the Hirashin. And then when there was no more to learn from his teachers, the toads taught him the Sage arts. He mastered that and became one of the most powerful shinobi in the world. One of the most feared and renowned shinobi since the creation of the five great Shinobi Nations.

A Shinobi shunned and hunted because of the demon locked away inside of him. He did all that to fulfill his promise to her. To bring him back. And she smiles that smile at him.

He should be happy. Betrayed is all he feels. He should have known this is what would happen. All those times the truth was shown to him, he would say how it didn't matter because as long as she was happy, he would be happy. The truth was always there, he just refused to believe it. He thought that if he tried hard enough, trained hard enough, and performed the impossible at any given opportunity, she would see him and fall in love with him. And yet after all these years she still loved Sasuke. And that was made all the more clear when she gave him that smile.

He was happy. Happy that she was happy, truly. He would give up his life, his dreams if he knew that for the rest of her life she was happy. He'd spent the last four years training like a man possessed in order to achieve that. Now it was reality. And it hurt him more than he could imagine. The more he thought about it, the more he realised how selfish he was. It sickened him.

'_I told you this is what would happen,'_ the Kyuubi says.

He couldn't understand why he felt this way. He fulfilled his promise. He brought Sasuke back to her. He brought back the love of his life, the love of her life. He should be feeling happy, ecstatic. Yet he couldn't stop the feelings of hurt and betrayal, and he just felt even guiltier each passing second because of his selfishness.

Standing inside that hospital room, him looking at her as she looked at him, he felt worse than he ever had in his entire life. And all because he did the right thing. He fulfilled his promise to her.

* * *

**The second time.**

The battle that took place would be spoken about for the rest of time. How for four years everything had been building up to the moment when he and Sasuke would meet again in battle.

Sasuke had achieved everything he set out to accomplish. He went with the snake, Oorochimaru, was trained by him, and when the Snake thought he had the Uchiha, Sasuke had killed him with ease. Then he had sought out his brother, Itachi. Who know's what Itachi was thinking, but after the battle between the Uchiha's, Sasuke was left with only more vengeance on his mind. He wanted Konoha destroyed.

He became part of Akatsuki. Helped them capture the rest of the Bijuu. With only one left to capture, it was inevitable that he and Sasuke would meet one final time in battle.

For all the years that was spent leading up to that critical moment, he thought it would've been an epic battle that would rock the very foundations of the earth. It lasted mere minutes.

At the end of it all, the Sharingan and Level 2 curse seal could do little against the speed and power he possessed. Then Sasuke used the Mangekyou Sharingan. It was then that he realised what Itachi had done to him back in the forest the last time they met. He had given him power to counter the Mangekyou. It was only enough for once, but one opportunity was all he needed. And then it was over.

Now standing inside that hopsital room, he watched her study him as he lay in the bed, waiting for him to wake up. As if on cue he opened his eyes. Then she smiled that smile.

"Sasuke," she managed to say as sobbing racked her body. Then she hugged him.

'_What are you still doing in here kit? It's killing me twice as much watching you watch her.'_

'_We getting soft in our old age, fuzzball?'_

'_Hmmmph! No, we're getting sick and tired of watching you watch that harlot fuss over the Uchiha. Did you really expect things to be any different! Now please leave this room and free us of this sight. It pains me as much as it does you.'_

As she cries, Sasuke puts his arms around her, and her sobbing only intensifies. That smile is gone, replaced by a tear-stained face that's buried in his chest. Sasuke looks on, unsure of what is happening.

He watches the gears in Sasuke's head work, as he remembers everything up till this moment. Then his head snaps up, eyes focusing on him. Before anything is said between them, Sakura chooses that moment to stop her crying, and looks up at the Uchiha. Her eyes follow his gaze, coming upon him, standing on the opposite side of the bed.

"I'll leave you two alone," he says.

Then before either of them have a chance to voice an objection, the door clicks shut behind him. Standing in the hallway, all of his friends and family quickly look up at the first sign of movement from the room.

"Sasuke's awake. Sakura's in there talking to him," he says quickly thinking up an excuse to get out of there.

"Naruto..." Tsunade starts to say, looking at him with concern evident in her eyes.

"Sorry Baa-san, but I'm really hungry, so can you guys keep an eye on Sakura and Sasuke while I go get something to eat?" And before any of them have a chance to say anything he's out the window at the end of the hallway.

As he jumps along the rooftops, he can feel the tears start sliding down his face. Stopping to wipe his face, he realises the last thing he wants is food. Getting his bearings straight, he goes to the one place in Konoha where he can be alone.

For the first day, he just sits there. By the end of that day, Kakashi, Shizune and Tsunade had all been by, trying to talk to him. But no matter how many times they banged on the door and pleaded with him to open up, he just sat there in the corner of his room, hugging his knees to his chest while the darkness in the room offered respite from the outside world.

The next morning he woke to find himself still huddled in the corner. Getting up he takes a quick shower hoping that the water will wash away some of the pain. It doesn't help. Putting on an old shirt and some shorts, he drags himself into his kitchen, but he can't even eat ramen at the moment, so he just lays down on the couch. It isn't long before there is a soft knock at the door. Choosing to ignore it, he continues to stare into nothing, but the knocking continues, getting louder each time, until after the fifth time the knocking becomes a pounding.

"Uzumaki Naruto! I know you're in there! Get up off your ass and open this damn door!"

_Damn Baa-san can't leave a man alone to wallow in self-pity._

Opening the door, Tsunade is about to pound the young man right in the head when she sees his face and stops. Before anything is said, she envelopes him in a hug, pouring as much comfort and love as she can into it. They stay like that for a minute, then she slowly releases him.

"Naruto, I'm..."

"Save it Baa-san, I know."

"No, you don't Naruto! Let me finish, damn it! I want you to know I'm here for you. You're like a brother to me, so if you need to talk about it, please come to me Naruto." Tsunade finishes by hugging him again.

"Thanks, Baa-san, but I'm fine, see." He tries to smile to reassure her, but can only manage a half grimace. Tsunade eyes him suspiciously, and as she's about to talk again, he beats her to it.

"Look, okay, I admit it, I'm not fine. But I will be, okay Baa-san? I...I just need some time to myself, to figure it all out. I kinda already thought this would happen, so I've already accepted it a bit. I just...I just need some time Baa-san. Please? Please just give me some time?" As he says this his voice becomes almost a whisper, and his eyes become downcast, with his gaze falling to the floor.

"Okay Naruto, I'll give you time. But I don't think you're going get much from your friends, as they are all pretty concerned about you and Sakura. Before you ask, I will not ask them to leave you alone, you will have to tell them that yourself if they come here looking for you."

Nodding his head already feeling the dread at having to talk to his friends about this if they come here looking for him, he watches the Hokage turn to leave, and is about to close the door when she stops and says something he didn't think of.

"Naruto, after you left yesterday, Sakura and Sasuke talked for a while before the rest of us went in to see him. I don't know what was said, but after everyone else left, Sakura asked where you were. She needs to talk to you about something important and she wants you to be the first to know. She needs to talk to you as soon as possible, so don't be too long. Okay?" With that said Tsunade left.

Cursing at the situation, Naruto closes the door and locks himself away from the world again.

That smile. Who would have thought the smile of an angel, a smile that made him feel so happy, could also make him hurt so much.

For the next day he's visited by all his friends and family. A madly blushing Hinata drags an unconscious Kiba out of his apartment while Shino follows casually behind, all the while she berates him about 'having no idea what's going on' and 'he should be more humble'. Chouji and Shikamaru stand there, silently giving support while Ino, the one person he thought incapable of the concept, stands there unable to form one sentence to tell him what he should do. And thanks to Team Gai, he had a gigantic headache after both Gai and Lee got into a speech about the flames of youth, and Neji and Tenten had to drag them both away before he showed them what his wind affinity was capable of.

The only people he was glad to see was Shizune-neechan and Kakashi-sensei. He didn't think he'd be glad to see his Sensei, but one pat on the shoulder and some comforting words before he left out the window spoke volumes to him. Shizune spent a bit longer with him, comforting her little brother, telling him that both her and Tsunade were always there for him.

That night he laid in his bed, trying to get some sleep, but it wasn't easy. Every time he closed his eyes, her face would come to mind, with that smile adorning her features, making her so beautiful it tormented him. So he laid there memorising the paint imperfections in the ceiling, wishing that he could just sink into nothingness and forget it all, all in return for one night of sleep. God knows he needed it. Only now did he realise he hadn't gotten one good night of sleep since he brought back Sasuke a week ago.

* * *

**The third time.**

_Knock Knock_

"Naruto? Naruto, are you in there?"

His eyes open in shock at that voice. There's no way it could be.

"Naruto, please, I know you're in there. Please open the door, I need to talk to you."

He can't believe it. He pinches himself to make sure it isn't a dream. It isn't. He's wide awake. 3.29am his clock says.

"Naruto, please open up." It sounds like she's almost begging for him to open the door. He can't. He can't believe she's outside his apartment asking to talk to him at 3.29am in the morning. She should be asleep, dreaming of Sasuke, not outside his apartment at 3.29am in the morning. He...

"Please Naruto. Open the door. I'm not leaving till you do." Her plea cuts through all the emotional turmoil building up inside of him, focusing his thoughts. Before he even has time to contemplate a response, he's at the door unlocking it for her. Turning the doorknob, the door opens slowly to reveal his love. She hasn't gotten much sleep by the look of it either. Her clothes are rumpled and her hair is a mess. She's also been crying, her face still stained with tears. If it's even possible, she looks even more beautiful.

"Sorry Sakura-chan, can this wait till morning? I need some sleep," he says, closing the door again. Before it closes he hears her squeak out a reply.

He opens the door fully again. "What was that?" he asks, unsure of what he heard.

"I'm sorry," she says, fidgeting with her hands, unable to look at him.

_I'm sorry, she says. I'm sorry. Sorry for what? Sorry for what! What does she have to be sorry for? For following her heart? For loving Sasuke? For loving him after all the horrible things he's done? For trampling all over my emotions? For making me feel like a tool to be used and discarded when the job is done? Sorry for what!_

'_Maybe she's sorry for being the bitch she is, all this time to you.'_

_'Shut it, Fuzzball! I don't need this right now.'_

_'You have to accept the truth some time kit. And it looks like she's at least coming here to own up to it.'_

_'She has nothing to be sorry for. She's only following her heart, like I have.'_

"Naruto, I'm sorry about the other day, I... I..." she trails of, finding the floor very interesting.

"Look, Sakura-chan. It's okay. I understand," he says, trying to finish her thoughts for her, to get her away from him as soon as possible, while he tries to hold in a fresh new wave of pain that is overcoming him as he watches her.

She chooses that time to look up at him slowly, bringing those beautiful jade green eyes of hers to bear on his.

"What?" she asks, looking at him confused. It's too much for him. Turning away from her, he walks back into his apartment, swinging the door shut behind him. Her hand reaches out and stops it from closing.

"What do you understand Naruto?" she asks from his doorway, gazing inside his apartment, like she's staring directly into his soul.

For such a simple question, he can't think of a response. _What does he understand?_ He stands there for several seconds, dumbstruck, unable to answer the question. After what seems like a lifetime, he turns around slowly towards her, his answer now ready, yet he can't say it, for if he says it, it means confirming to himself that which he deep down wished would never happen.

"I understand Sakura," he finally says, his heart slowly breaking from his own words.

"I understand why you're apologising to me. You don't have to. You have nothing to apologise for. Afterall, he's back, right? Sasuke's back. Now you two can finally be together. So I understand Sakura why you're apologising to me. You don't have to. I did what I did because I promised you I'd bring him back to you. My lifetime promise to you. So please don't apologise to me Sakura for following your heart. I understand." He finishes at last.

For several seconds she stands there, watching him, head hung low, completely defeated.

"What?" she asks again. His heart can't take much more of this. "What are you talking about Naruto?"

_What am I talking about? What I am talking about! Doesn't she even realise why she's here?_

"Sakura, I'm talking about how you love Sasuke, and that you don't need to apologise to me because you two are together now," he says, no louder than a whisper, upset about having to voice it out loud for her. While he says this, his head slowly comes up, a new wave of tears spilling from his eyes. But he looks straight at her. He's accepted it.

"You baka," she says, looking at his face so full of pain. Before he can even think of a response, she's hugging him, hugging him as tight as possible, trying to pour as much comfort and warmth into it as possible.

If he wasn't in so much pain right now, he'd be in heaven. Yet he can't enjoy the hug. He can't when he knows this is it. This is the last time they will embrace like this. Looking down at her, her head resting on his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around his body, he wishes this could last forever. He would give it all up to just remain like this forever.

"You baka," she repeats. Then she does something he didn't expect. She starts crying. Standing in his apartment, wrapped together in a hug, they both cry. Oh, how he wished he could stay like this forever, but while she cries, he can't enjoy this moment. Slowly prying her off of him, he holds her at arms length, looking into her beautiful jade green eyes.

"Look, Sakura, I..."

"Don't," she responds in a mere whisper.

"What?" Now it's his turn to ask.

"Don't you dare say that you undestand Uzumaki Naruto." Her voice more firm now. "Don't you dare say that you understand. You don't. That's more than obvious from what you've said. But I'll ask you anyway. Do you really have any idea what I'm doing here Naruto?"

"I..." he starts to reply, absolutely dumbstruck.

"I didn't think so. You don't have any idea do you? Well let me tell you, since you saw it so fit to interrupt me before at the door. I'm here to say I'm sorry. What for you ask? I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings Naruto. I was so happy that Sasuke was back, that I didn't realise what I was doing, and I acted on impulse. I didn't think of how that would hurt you, and only after you left did I realise my mistake."

"What are you saying Sakura?"

"Sasuke and I talked after you left," she continues. "He's so happy to be back. Back with us. The whole time we talked though, I couldn't stop thinking of how you left. It wasn't till at the end of our talk that Sasuke told me what you said to him. That you were doing this to make me happy. That with Sasuke back in Konoha, he and I could finally be together. That's when it hit me. You left because you were upset at how I hugged Sasuke. At the affection I showed him."

As she says this, she moves closer into him, their bodies only millimeters apart, her eyes boring into his, making him unable to look away while she pierces his soul with those beautiful, jade green eyes.

"Naruto, you were jealous at the affection I showed to Sasuke. Naruto, do you like me?" she asks, as if it was the most casual thing on the planet to ask the man in front of her.

"No," he says at last, never breaking eye contact. "I've never liked you Sakura. I've loved you. I always have and I always will. I've loved you since the moment I saw you. I love you even though Sasuke's the only one you can ever love. I..."

Before he can continue, her lips smash into his, kissing him passionately, their bodies closing the distance, merging together as their embrace deepens. As quickly as it began, it ends, their bodies slowly drifting apart as they both realise what just happened.

"What..." he starts.

"Baka," she says interrupting him.

Now he's really confused. Looking at the woman in front of him, he goes over everything that's happened. Yet no matter how much he tries to figure it out, he always comes back to one thing.

"What about Sasuke?" he asks.

"You baka," she says again. "I haven't liked Sasuke like that for a long time now. And it was only several months ago that I started to notice someone else. Someone who has always been there for me. Been there to save me. To help me. To comfort me. Someone who makes me laugh and makes me cry. Someone who without, I couldn't continue as I am. Do you know who this is Naruto?"

"Who?"

"You, you baka. I love you. Not Sasuke. You, Uzumaki Naruto."

Then she smiles that smile. It instantly washes away everything he's thinking, everything he's feeling. All he can do is stare at her, as she smiles that smile at him. As he smiles back, they move closer, kissing again, a soft tender kiss that conveys all they feel to each other.

That smile. He considered himself lucky to see it once. The second time, it broke his heart. The third time, it gave him everything.

It's like they say. Third time's the charm.

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Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.


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